TicketsCINCINNATI – The Cincinnati men’s golf team will look to defend its 2026 title when it tees it up at the Bearcat Invitational starting Monday at Coldstream Country Club in Cincinnati. The event, which features 36 holes of play Monday and 18 Tuesday, is slated for a 9 a.m. shotgun start both days and is free to the public.
Cincinnati’s lineup will consist of Timmy Hollenbeck, Eli Wessel, Aidan Wilson, Leo Wessel and Brayden Miller, with Connor Cassano, Brady Ray and Talen Beane teeing it up as individuals.
The Bearcats are coming off a fourth-place finish to open the season at the Folds of Honor Collegiate Sept. 7-9 at American Dunes Golf Club. Cincinnati bounced back from a 4-over opening round to post the best final two days of any team in the field to finish fourth at 10-under-par behind tournament winner Georgia Tech at 18-under, followed by Notre Dame and Texas at 13-under.
Three Bearcats finished in the top 20, paced by senior transfer Timmy Hollenbeck, who tied for sixth at 5-under. Freshman Eli Wessel finished a shot back in a tie for ninth in his opening collegiate tournament and fifth year Ryan Ford tied for 18th at 1-under.
NOTEWORTHY
Tournament History: The Bearcat Invitational, which started in 2011, is being contested for the 12th time in 2026, with Cincinnati winning on three occasions. Cincinnati won last year’s edition by 11 strokes as three Bearcats finished in the top 10 on the way to Cincinnati’s 10th tournament title under the direction of head coach Doug Martin.
The Course: The par-71, 7,279-yard Coldstream Country Club, which opened in 1959 and underwent a renovation in 2021, features expansive fairways, striking bunker complexes and refined sightlines that highlight both the natural beauty of the property and the strategic intent behind every hole.
The Field: Along with the host Bearcats, the 17-team field includes Arkansas-Little Rock, Augusta, Furman, Iowa State, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Minnesota, Nebraska, Sam Houston, Tennessee-Chattanooga, TCU, UCF and Xavier.
BEARCATS IN 2026-27
Cincinnati, which welcomes four freshman and senior transfer Timmy Hollenbeck to the fold for 2026-27, is bolstered by the return of All-Big 12 selection Ryan Ford, who was granted a fifth year of eligibility after graduating last spring. In addition to Ford, juniors Connor Cassano and Leo Wessel, along with sophomore Brayden Miller, are back after seeing time as mainstays in the Bearcats’ lineup a season ago. Cassano played in 10 tournaments with a 74.27 scoring average in his first season at Cincinnati after transferring from LSU, Wessel played in all 12 tournaments, ranking second on the team with a 71.92 average and Miller came on strong in the spring to rank third among Bearcats’ regulars with a 72.29 average.